The Dragon Empress
by Military-SweetHeart
Summary: "Her eyes are far too wide, far too reptilian, to be normal. Her pupils gave her the appearance of something frightening. And her smile - it's too wide, too sharp, too predatory. When she smiled at you, you wanted to bow your head and hope she would only smile, for what laid behind that smile, was far more dangerous than you could truly imagine."
1. Whispered Rumors

**Prologue: Whispered Rumors**

At first, it had started off as but a whisper to the wind, holding nothing more than a rumor...

 _They call her the Dragon Empress._

Such a silly little rumor, it could hold no merit amongst the land.

 _She comes from a small noble clan, holding no ties to no one land. Nomads, they are._

There was a war raging on, families rising and falling like the ocean tide. For some, they came and went like a breath, unworthy of mention. But yet, the rumor persisted throughout, traveling far and wide.

 _She can bend the minds of men to her rule, all with just a look._

Soon, it had reached the ears of other clans, small like the whispered one.

 _She asks for no submission of will, no blind obedience. Just bend the knee to her, and fight beside her._

One by one, smaller clans, tired of dying for the petty revenge of the larger ones, began to seek out the one that promised them strength. They offered no special abilities, no bloodlines to sacrifice for peace. All they had to offer, was their loyalty.

 _She bows to no one; no damiyo, no clan leader, no man._

Civilians kept the rumor alive, carrying it with them from place to place. But, they never spoke louder than a whisper. The words slipped into minds like smoke, dancing amongst their breaths, taking shelter in their lungs, waiting for the next person to carry them.

 _She summons the very Gods themselves; they come down from their domain and wreak havoc upon her enemies._

Soon, the rumor became more than just that. It became a myth, a legend in its own right. For those who could summon the Gods had to be legends, as Gods were fickle with their favor.

 _No one has seen her clearly in battle, for she travels the field like smoke and ash. Her armor glints in the light, magnificient like scales, bestowed upon her by the Gods. They favor her in battle, for she always comes out victorious and unscathed._

Whispered words raged through the land, their syllables catching everything in their path aflame, lighting up whole villages overnight. No one was spared, all knew who they spoke of; they grew louder and stronger as time went by.

 _The Haruno clan, the summoners of Gods, the uniter of clans. The Dragon Empress._

Hear them roar.


	2. Clever Girl

**Chapter One: Clever Girl**

"Sakura," a deep voice called out, catching the attention of the young heiress. She turned around to face her care taker, titling her head to meet the eyes of the seven foot man. He smiled at her, carefully hiding his teeth from view, his eyes glinting from the flames. They appeared black, but Sakura knew they were a deep brown, a beautiful hazel that reminded her of the sweets her mother's guards would sneak her whenever they could. He patted his thigh, gesturing for her to come close and take a seat. She obeyed without hesitance; she had know this man her whole life. While her mother was gone, ruling the clan from the palace, _he_ was making sure she was safe and happy.

Settling herself on his strong thigh, she rested her head against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart, feeling the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. She could hear it when his lungs expanded, they carried a sound too deep for normal humans to hear. It was comforting, knowing that this imposing man was her guardian. And imposing he was. He stood tall, taller than anyone else in the village hidden by leaves. He towered over the civilians and shinobi alike; when he walked, they moved. Some even bowed, but only those that wore the mark.

His skin glistened like gold in the sun, and she had even asked once if he was made of the precious metal. His laughter had carried far into the village, scaring small animals and birds. He had told her that no, he wasn't made from gold, but rather, the Gods had seen fit to bestow upon him an armor unlike any other. She asked what that meant, as the only people who wore armor were the silent guards of her mother and grandmother, the Dowager Empress and the Empress. He had pulled her close and told her to look closely at his skin, to see what others could not. He reminded her that she had been born with special eyes, ones that could pick up any tiny detail, and then he pulled a candle close to his skin - and she saw them for the first time.

 _Scales,_ she had whispered, eyes wide in fascination. _You have scales, just like the Gods!_ He had chuckled and nodded, saying that as she grew older and wiser, she too would have her skin replaced with scales, harder than steel and stronger than the earth.

"Child, do you know how we, how the Haruno clan, came to be regarded as the descendants of the Gods?" Her guardian, Haji, asked, pulling the 5 year old from her musings. She nodded her head, straining her neck to see his face. Sometimes, she wondered if the Gods had carved him for stone, as his face never seemed to age.

"Great obaa-sama bargained with the Gods, took their strength as her own so she could stop the war and bring about a new ruler." Sakura recited softly, her eyebrows scrunching together when Haji smoothed her hair down, he always said it raged like a wildfire, moving without purpose. Mother said it made her look wild and dangerous, but she always said that about her.

"I see you have listened well to the courts."

"They never have anything interesting say about great obaa-sama," she pouted, hoping he would have a story to tell her.

"That's because they are scared."

"Scared? Why?" Sakura asked, curious as to why people were scared of her great obaa-sama.

"Why do you think, Sakura?" Haji countered her question with his own. He wanted to see her put that magnificient mind of hers to work, to figure out the reasoning behind the courts fear of her ancestor.

"Because she was the one to create the contract with the Gods?"

"Close, who did she bargain with, specifically?" He watched as her eyes darkened, her mind searching for the answer. He waited patiently, knowing that if he pushed too hard for an answer, she would get upset and storm off. He wanted to curb that behavior, it wasn't right for the future Empress to get upset so easily. But, he also knew that she was still a child, and children must be allowed to grow and develop as individuals on their own. So he waited; he watched the flames on the candles flicker, creating shawdows along the walls of their training room.

"She bargained with three, Sensō , Heiwa, and Baransu!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes bright with excitement at having gotten the answer right. Her pupils, so much like her clansmen, were dialated to make up for the poor lighting in the room. Haji nodded, his own pupils just as large. He knew the young heiress would often fret about her eyes, saying she looked like a lizard with them. And Haji would always remind her that the Gods had gifted her clan with their very eyes, for no God would be summoned by someone so low as a human.

"Correct, you are quite clever, my little dragon." Haji patted her head, knowing she would grumble about being treated like a pet.

"Tell me a story, about the clan!" Sakura demanded, her rapt attention being solely focused on him. It was at times like this, when she was so focused on one thing, that Haji compared her to her ancestor. They had had the same fire burning bright behind those eyes of theirs, and they had used that fire to create a dynasty.

"Alright, little one, I shall tell you about how the clan came to power." Sakura grinned excitedly, but kept quiet while Haji began. "The five great lands were being ravaged by war amongst clans, each one powerful and terrifying with their abilities. But, more importantly, the war was being fought by the two strongest clans at the time: the Uchiha and the Senju. No one person could tell you why they fought, only that they did, and they did so with such hatred that the lands they destroyed still have yet to recover," he sighed, closing his eyes as he recalled the story, "The lands were soaked with the blood of the fallen, and any small clan that got in the way of their hatred, were destroyed as well. Many noble clans were wiped out within years, having tried to stop the fighting from over taking them. Our clan would have suffered the same fate, if not for your ancestor, Haruno Kana. She saw the bloodshed and hated it. She hated seeing her family members going off to war, to fight for their home, and come back in a shroud, if they came back at all. Kana-dono made a desperate bargain with the Gods, asking them to give her the strength to end this war and bring about peace. She pleaded with them, but she never begged. She would never kneel for someone, not even the Gods themselves, and that intriguied them. They called her an interesting mortal, to demand strength and power, yet be so bold as to not show respect."

"She did that?" Sakura whispered, in awe of her ancestor.

"She did indeed, and she stood her ground in front of them, saying that while they were Gods, they were not her equals. They had laughed at her, told her she was but a mere mortal to them, and they could just devour her whole before she could scream. She challenged them, told the Gods that they were truly no Gods of hers if they refused to even listen to her pleas for peace. One of the Gods, did not like that, and he roared, mighty and terrifying. He attacked her," Sakura gasped in horror, "and made to kill her, but Kana-dono was a very clever woman. Throughout her life, she had been perfecting her abilities to bend minds and wills in her favor, creating images that were not there, and making people see horrors they could never imagine-"

"Genjutsu Mistress," Sakura stated, feeling smug. Haji allowed her that interruption and kept weaving his tale.

"No one had been able to esape her powers, and soon the Gods realized not even they were immuned. She made no signs, no gestures, to tell them what she was planning. No, she simply looked them in the eye, and made them kneel to her, as if she was their equal. That was all it took, for the Gods had been arrogant during those times, but-" Haji stopped speaking when he felt Sakura's body sag against him. He looked down and noticed that her eyes were shut and her breathing had evened out.

He chuckled before lifting her up into his arms and standing up. He waved his hand quickly, watching as the candles flickered out, before walking out of the room. He would finish his tale another day, when she was ready for it.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, so I figured I let you guys know a little backstory behind Sakura's clan as many of you asked me if she was going to be the first, and nope.**

 **I based Haji off of Xerxes from 300, as I feel like he would be a great character to twist and use. I also felt like Sakura needed a guardian to watch after her, to help her grow, since her mother is the current Dragon Empress and is ruling the clan.**

 **Please tell me what you think, and review!**


	3. Hoard

**Chapter Two: Hoard**

 _"Ne, Haji, why are the villagers so mean to that blond boy?"_

She was six when she first saw him, sitting by the swings, on the outskirts of the playground. She thought he had looked so lonely, like a little lost puppy. She didn't like looking into his eyes, as blue as the summer sky, and seeing an immense sadness in them.

 _"His name is Naruto, and they think he's a demon."_

She decided to approach him, because she wanted to know why he was sad. As she started walking over their, an adult tried to stop her. They had reached out to grab her arm, but were stopped when she snapped her teeth at them. Even at the tender age of six, her teeth were just as sharp and dangerous looking as a dragon's. They looked away from her in fear, suddenly remembering who she was and who she was meant to be.

 _"He doesn't look like a demon, more like a sad puppy."_

Naruto had watched in fear as she walked over to him, her gait confident and graceful. She had been learning to walk like her mother. When she stood in front of him, she titled her head to the side and gave him a smile. She made sure to hide her teeth, she didn't want to scare him any more than he already was. Haji looked on from a distance, his stature appearing relaxed, but they knew better. He was ready to jump in and protect his little dragon.

 _"The villagers do no know him, and they fear what they don't know. They turn that fear into hatred and anger, and so turn that onto Naruto."_

Sakura didn't like the way he flinched when she held her hand out to him. She didn't like the way he tucked his shoulders in, nor did she like the way he glanced around, looking for a possible escape route. She frowned, she didn't want him to be scared of her. She wanted him to be her friend.

 _"But he's just a kid, like me!"_

Naruto waited for her to hit him, like all the adults did. He waited for her to attack him, to start calling him those horrible names. But she didn't, she just stood there, waiting for him to shake her hand.

 _"People can be cruel, my little dragon, even to children. There is not much we can do to stop them."_

 _"Yes we can, we can, we can protect them!"_

 _"Do you want to protect him?"_

Naruto glanced up at her, and hestitantly reached his hand out to her, gently taking her hand in his and giving it a little squeeze. The smile she gave him stretch across her face and filled him with a sense of safety. He gave a smile back and squeezed her hand again, this time a little stronger than the first.

 _"Yes, I want to be his friend and protect him from the world."_

* * *

Haji watched on as his heiress shook hands with Naruto, the so-called demon of the village. She looked so happy to have him shake her hand, and that filled Haji with peace. He knew she needed friends her own age, but the children in this village were cruel, and he wanted to protect her from their taunts and hatred. But seeing her now, eyes alight with a fire he had never seen before, he knew this brief meeting would form a bond that would stretch across their lifetimes. He smiled to himself before looking around the little playground. He saw the disgusted looks of the civilians, saw how they sneered at Naruto. He frowned at them, hating how they judged one another so carelessly. He glanced around again, catching sight of a marked one. He saw the worry in their eyes as they watched the interaction. He looked closer, noting that worry was the only emotion they displayed. When they looked up, they caught him staring. They bowed quickly, before looking back over. The worry was still there, but it was less. Now there was a soft curiosity shining through.

He could see the question there, one that often went unasked amongst the clan.

 _Would she mark him as her hoard, would she make him the first to bear the pink dragon?_

Haji asked himself that, as he watched the two children play amongst themselves, before reaching up and touching the spot under his left eye. His dragon mark stood out proudly against his skin, declaring for all to see that he belonged to the Dowager Empress' hoard. He, too, wondered if Sakura would hold true to her word and protect this young child from the world. He could only hope that she would, as Naruto needed more kindness than they could give.

* * *

Sakura had never felt hate before, as she had lived a happy life so far. Sure, she got angry at times, but she had never felt the icy flames of hate lick at her heart before. They burned her in a way that was unsual. It was a cold burn, a burn that heightened her senses and made her pupils narrow into a thin line. Her lungs ached with the need to spread forth her hatred, to sear the earth and incinerate all who stood in her way.

Haji had once explained to her that a dragon never truly feels anger the same way as a human does, as they could not be bothered to feel something so passionately. When she asked if there was ever a time a dragon would be angry, Haji's face had turned serious before he had answered.

 _"When a dragon's hoard is threatened, there is nothing that can protect you from their anger. It blazes, scorches, and torches everything in it's wake. It is a cold flame, that freezes and burns at the same time. When you feel that coldness in your heart, when you feel like destroying everything around you in order to protect those that are most precious to you, may the Gods have mercy upon your enemies, because you will show them none."_

And after watching that shinobi slap Naruto, her friend - her best and first friend, across the face because he had bumped his shoulder against him, all she wanted to do was tear him apart, to watch his blood stain the earth red and to hear his screams. And that scared Sakura. It terrified her to the point of moving without thinking, to slip into a protective stance over Naruto as he curled into a ball and cried; she bared her teeth at the shinobi, showing him her terrifying maw and the teeth that lined it. Her pupils stayed narrow as she watched the shinobi halter in his movements, to turn and glance at her.

What she did next both terrified and excited her; she growled, low and deep. It reverberated in the shinobi's chest, and stopped the movements of all around them. Civilians shuddered, those who were old enough to have seen a Haruno's dragon fell to the knees and covered their ears. It didn't matter that she was only six; she was still the heiress to the Dragons, and their wrath knew no bounds.

Beneath her, Naruto continued to cry as he felt something hot tug below his right eye, it hurt like a branding. He clutched the area and pressed against it hard, unaware of what that meant. When the pain went away just as quickly as it came, he felt something warm wash over him. It felt like someone had wrapped him up in a blanket, soothing his fears and worries away.

He moved his hands away from his face and looked up. His eyes widened in shock; Sakura looked terrifying as she stood above him. She was growling at someone and her teeth were on full display.

She never showed anyone her teeth, she said it scared people when she smiled.

Sakura didn't like to scare people, Naruto remembered. She hated people fearing her.

So what had happened for her to suddenly change her stance?

That's when Naruto remembered the stinging in his left cheek; he had been slapped and knocked down by a shinobi, all because he had bumped into them. He hadn't even had the chance to apologize to the man, they had just attacked him without warning. He glanced back up at Sakura, she was standing over him in a protective stance. His heart bloomed at that, he didn't think she cared that much about him, after all, they had only known each other for a few days, surely that wasn't long enough for someone to get attached to another? He looked around for Haji, Sakura's scary guardian, and wondered where he was-

Suddenly they were both being scooped up and cradled into a strong, hard chest. Naruto blinked and came face to face with Haji, who looked terrifying. His own teeth were bared, but he wasn't growling. No, he was staring daggers at the shinobi, who was cowering under his gaze. Naruto looked down and saw that Haji was carrying Sakura under his arm, as she was still growling and lunging at the man. Naruto shivered at the sight of his best friend looking so ready to hurt someone. All because he had got slapped.

"Leave our sight, you filth." Haji spat out, his calm voice replaced by an icy tone. The shinobi took off, not once looking back. Naruto watched his back, memorizing everything about him. He would make sure to avoid that man from now on.

A heartbeat passed, then a second, then a third before Sakura finally stopped growling and Haji had stopped projecting his killing intent. He looked down at his little dragon, saddened that she had to experience hatred at such a young age. But he looked at Naruto to check for wounds, he found a pink dragon under the boy's right eye; it was the same shade as her hair, with a little green dot reresenting the eye.

Naruto had been marked; he now belonged to Sakura as part of her hoard.

Haji smirked to himself before he started walking, heading in their direction of home. He knew what had to happen next, as all clan members did. It was practically a law amongst them, and no one, not even a Kage, could break it.

 _Once you are marked with the dragon, once you are marked as their hoard, you belong to the Haruno clan. And there is nothing that can be done to change that, not even death._

* * *

 **AN: Sorry if it seemed a little rushed, or not all that much. I had the plot bunny just jump into my head and didn't want to risk losing it.**

 **As always, please review and let me know what you think!**


	4. I Would Burn the World

**Chapter Three: I Would Burn the World**

When Naruto had been first marked, he hadn't known what it meant. He hadn't known that he would suddenly gain a friend, a family, a home. He hadn't known that he would be cared for like a son, like a brother, like someone who mattered.

When Haji had taken him to their home, he was scared. He had heard rumors about the Dragon family, how anyone who entered their district never came back out, and he'd thought that the minute he had crossed that red line on the road, he would be devoured and never seen again. But instead of being devoured, he was embraced with kindness and love. And that scared him even more, because no one had ever showed him such kindness before, not even the Old Man Hokage. He treated him nicely, but he never went out of his way to make him feel loved.

And he wondered if the Old Man had ever even cared about him before.

* * *

Haji was his father.

Sakura was his sister and best friend.

Mebuki, the current Empress, was his mother.

Even the Dowager Empress, Niko Haruno, was his benevolent grandmother.

And all the other members of the clan, every single one, they were his family, too.

Naruto loved his new family, he loved them with all his heart, and he would do anything to protect them, because he knew that they would do the same. He was one of them now, and they protected their own, especially the young, which meant if any of the other villagers tried to hurt him, they would fill the air with their ashes. And Naruto would do the same.

He would burn the world for them.

* * *

Niko-obaasan, whenever she could visit them, would pinch their cheeks and call them her little treasures. Her eyes, so bright and jew-like, would look at him with a certain fondness in them that would make his heart hurt. It was the kind of fondness that only a grandmother could hold when they looked at their grandchildren. The first time she had looked at him like that, he had started to cry. He couldn't stop himself, the tears just kept coming and his vision blurred from them. Niko-obaasan started to blur around her edges, making her appear even softer than she already was. He didn't think he had deserved such love from her, when she barely even knew him. He thought that she would stop loving him when she saw how quickly he cried, that she would curl her lips up at him in disgust and have him taken away. But no, instead she had shooed everyone out of the room and pulled him into her lap. She had rubbed soothing circles on his back and sang him a lullaby from her childhood. She had let him cry, waiting patiently as she sang. When Naruto cried himself out, he snuggled closer to her chest and listened to her heart beat. It grounded him, hearing that _thump, thump, thump_ inside her chest while she continued to sing.

After she'd finished, she had asked him what troubled him so. So he told her; told her of how he was scared that this was all a dream, that he would wake up and find himself back in his rundown apartment, alone and tired. He told her of how he thought she would hate him, that they would all hate him, because why not? That's what all the other villagers did, and he hadn't done anything to deserve that animosity!

Niko-obaasan had simply smiled at him, pinched his cheek again, and told him that he would never experience that hatred again, that he would never be alone again, and that he would always be loved by her, and by the clan.

That was when Naruto had decided he would do everything in his power to protect this old woman who cherished him so, and kill all who went against her.

* * *

It was the day after his marking that he met Mebuki, Sakura's mother and the Dragon Empress. To say he had been starstruck would've been understatement. She had arrived in the morning, smoke and ash falling in her wake (he later learned that when Sakura was ready to take her place, she, too, would leave trails like that) and her terrifying guards close behind. Naruto had hidden behind Haji's leg; their masks reminded him of the yokai who stole children when they were bad. They wore all black, their masks polished silver. They were so different from the Anbu that would watch him when he played.

Haji introduced him by simply stepping aside and nudging him forward. Naruto had been nervous and bowed too low, too fast, and fell forward. He whimpered in fear, and stayed there, shivering in anticipation of the cold remarks.

Mebuki, instead, had knelt down and picked him up, brushing the dirt off his shirt and face before smiling at him.

 _"Welcome, Naruto, to my family. Please take care of my dear daughter."_ Her smile had blinded him, just like Sakura's had, and he couldn't help but smile back. Her blond, nearly white hair, was elegantly styled on top of her head, making her look like a goddess.

After that day, Mebuki had raised hell with the Hokage and his Elders, demanding they give him to her, since they had been nothing but be cruel to him since his birth. They had tried to refuse, only to be reminded that everyone bowed to the Dragon Empress or suffered her wrath. Not even Danzo was willing to risk her ire, as she could easily have the village reduced to scorched earth with nothing but ashes floating in the wind to remind the other villages of her absolute power. Hokage-sama reluctantly allowed her to adopt him, thinking he would become a ward to them. None of them had expected her to make him her son; he was practically a noble overnight.

Her fierceness and devotion to him made him promise to protect her smile, as it was the only thing he treasured more than Sakura.

* * *

Haji was perhaps his fiercest protector, second only to Sakura, of course. He followed him everywhere, even when Sakura was back home learning the courts and how to navigate them.

He would watch over him as he played, his dragon eyes following his every movement. Nothing went unnoticed, everything was calculated and watched closely.

Villagers and shinobi alike kept their distance and kept their gazes down, none daring to challenge the god-like man. He was the only one outside of the sacred line who could summon a dragon, and he would not hestitate to burn his enemies to the ground if they so much as looked at Naruto wrong. He may not have the same level of attachment to him as his little dragon did, but that didn't stop him from loving him just as much. Naruto was the first marked for Sakura, something that Haji approved of and cherished.

So when Naruto was approached by a drunkard on their way home, Haji had felt fire flood his veins. He stalked over to the man and stood behind Naruto, making sure no one else would dare approach. The drunkard hadn't even noticed. His mind was far too gone to realize the danger he was in.

"You're tha lil' demon brat, ain't cha, boy?" His words slurred together, his hot breath fanning over Naruto's face, smelling like stale ale. Naruto chose to say nothing, wanting to bow his head in shame, but the presence of Haji behind him gave him a surge of confidence. "Heard ya got marked by tha lil' pink hair'd bitch, huh?" Haji's blood boiled, no one talked about his little one like that.

"Her name's Sakura-chan," Naruto spat out, his own anger rising. He clenched his fists, his nails biting through his skin. He felt the pain and grasped onto it, holding it close.

"Don't care, she's a bitch, jus' lik' 'er motha," the drunkard grinned, it was ugly and dark and spoke of something awful. "Bet tha motha would squeal lik' a pig, though."

"Don't you dare talk about them like that." Naruto growled, his anger spilling over the edges. There was a dark voice in the back of his mind, whispering to him, telling him to do horrible things to the man, and he wanted to. He wanted to do everything that voice told him to do, he wanted to make that man hurt. He wanted to protect his family.

"I bet chu she would squeal if som'un threw 'er down an' gave 'er a good fuck-" Before the man could finish his sentence, Haji had reached forward and grabbed his throat. The man gurgled and struggled to remove his hand, but Haji had reached his limit. He felt the man's erratic heartbeat underneath his palm, and he wanted to do nothing more than feel it stop. So he did just that.

With a quick twist of his wrist, a sickening snap was heard before the man was dropped. Naruto flinched at the sound of a body being dropped, but he didn't do anything else. He just stood there and stared, wondering if he could ever do that one day; just kill a man without a second thought because he spoke of doing terrible things to his family. He looked up at Haji and saw him glare at the body, wishing it to go up in flames.

"What he said wasn't right," Naruto said softly, drawing Haji out of his mind. Haji blinked once, twice, before looking down at the young one. He sighed before kneeling down so he could scoop Naruto up into his arms.

"No, my little warrior, and I'm sorry you had to hear him speak such terrible things." Haji felt a presence stare up at him, but he ignored them. They would make the body disappear before it could be found by someone, disposing of it without a care. Like the man never even existed.

"He wasn't a good man, was he?"

"No, he wasn't."

"Is that why you killed him?"

"No, Naru-kun, I killed him because he insulted the Empress. He was making a threat to do something horrible to her, and I couldn't let him finish, not with you listening."

"Oh," Naruto rested his head against Haji's shoulder while the man walked away, heading back home where Sakura would be waiting to practice katas with him and tell him how boring the courts sounded. He wondered if he should tell her what happened, then he began to wonder if she would be angry at Haji for killing him, or at him for telling her. "Haji?"

"Yes?"

"When that man was speaking...when he was saying those mean things about Sakura...I felt really angry...and I wanted to do really bad things to him...like really, really bad things," he trailed off, not sure if he should continue. Luckily for him, he didn't have to, as Haji knew exactly what he was thinking.

"And you want to know if that makes you a bad person?" Naruto nodded his head, "No, it doesn't. It makes you human, just like me, and just like him. Naruto, that anger you felt, you felt it because you care about Sakura as a friend and as a sister. But you also felt it because you are her marked one."

"Wha'd'ya mean?"

"You know Sakura would do anything to protect you, and you've seen how she's reacted to someone hurting you. The anger, that desire to hurt those who hurt your precious people, that need to do horrible things out of fear; all of those feelings are what makes Sakura a dragon, and when those feelings are fierce, they create the mark on that person. You become part of her hoard, so to speak, and dragons will always protect their hoards. No matter what, and no matter who stands in their way." Haji crossed over the red line in the road, the line that marked their territory and home, "Those same feelings that she feels, you too shall feel. Every last one, you will feel all of them. Whenever someone threatens her, you will want to do everything in your power to destroy them. You will want to light the world aflame." Haji stopped walking and looked at the little boy he cradled in his arm, how small and soft he looked when compared to him. He knew in his heart that he would protect Naruto like his own flesh and blood, like he was his son. "Do you understand, my little warrior?"

Naruto nodded and smiled brightly, reminding Haji of the sun on a clear summer's day. There was so much hope and happiness in that one smile, that Haji solidified his previous thought.

Whether blood or not, Naruto was his son.

And he vowed to burn the world to smoke ashes if he was ever threatened.

* * *

 **AN: Bada bing, bada boom. What cha think?**


	5. Bucket

**Chapter Four: Bucket**

They were both six when they met him, Sasuke Uchiha.

He was playing alone in the sandbox, his mother sitting on a bench nearby, reading a book while keeping an eye on her surroundings. He was in the process of making a sand castle when Naruto had the unforunate luck to fall on it.

It wasn't his fault, though! He had been running, playing tag with Sakura, when he chanced a glance behind him and tripped over his own feet. Straight into the sandbox. Completely destroying Sasuke's castle.

He could hear Sakura laughing in the background, and he just knew, just knew she was clutching her stomach and pointing at him with tears running down her face. Haji would later say that a lady doesn't laugh so boisterously like that, and Sakura would shrug it off and say she wasn't a lady, she was a dragon, and dragons don't care for the rules of polite society. Haji would try to hide his smile, would ultimately fail at that, and then make Sakura run a lap around the village for her retort.

But that was neither here nor there, as Naruto slowly sat up, sputtering and trying to get the sand out of his mouth. Sasuke would just sit there, shell shocked. He would watch as Naruto would shake his head viciously to try and get the sand out, before giving up and looking at him.

"I'm...I'm sorry for fallin' on your castle!" Naruto bowed his head in apology, knowing Haji would be upset if he didn't. "I tripped while runnin' and didn't mean to, I swear!" He added as an after thought, hoping the boy opposite him wouldn't be that angry.

But no, that wasn't the case.

You see, Sasuke had spent all morning building that castle, wanting to impress his mother with his amazing architecture.

And that was all ruined by that blond jerk! Sasuke frowned harshly, mimicing his father to the best of his abilities. After all, that was the face he would make whenever Sasuke didn't get something right the first try. Before he could say anything though, and he had had the perfect nasty remark on the tip of his tongue, Naruto held his hand out for him to shake.

"I'm Naruto Haruno!" He declared, smiling brightly while Sakura came running up to them. She plopped down right next to Naruto and grinned; she was careful on hiding her teeth, but a canine did manage to show up. Sasuke continued to frown, but not as deeply. Instead his face had taken on a thoughtful expression. He didn't notice his mother look up from her reading to regard the three of them with a curious look. She knew who those two children were, knew who they were destined to be, and she couldn't help but be wary. She hoped Sasuke wouldn't do anything to insult the Empress' children.

"Haruno? Like the Dragon Empress?" Sasuke finally asked. Naruto nodded and gestured to Sakura, who switched from a grin to a sweet smile. Sasuke thought it was a cute smile; he blushed, he wasn't supposed to think girls were cute! They had cooties!

"This is my sis, Sakura! She's gonna be the next Empress and I'm gonna be her protector!" Naruto declared, standing up and pointing his thumb at his chest, before he moved to point to his mark. Sasuke stared and thought that the pink dragon with the green eye was weird. Whoever heard of a pink dragon? "I'm her first mark, which means I get to be with her forever!"

Sasuke's lips thinned into an annoyed look. Naruto was really loud, and that was a stupid thing to want to be. Who cared if she was gonna be the Empress, he was the second heir to the Uchiha clan, the strongest clan in the world! He sniffed in a dismissive way, throwing his head to the side and voicing his first thought. Naruto looked shocked, then glared at Sasuke.

"Oh yeah? Well I think you're stupid!" Naruto shot back, shocking Sasuke. He didn't even know his name, or, or, who he was! And here he was, standing over him and insulting him like he was some regular civilian kid!

"Take that back!" Sasuke yelled, standing up and shoving Naruto. Sakura felt a spike of annoyance at him for putting his hands on Naruto, but she let it slide. After all, they were just boys and Haji said boys fought over stupid things all the time. Besides, she couldn't get mad all the time over every little thing, that would make her a horrible dragon and she would never be treated like an adult.

"No! And your hair looks like a duck's butt!" Naruto grinned in triumph, seeing how Sasuke twitched at having his hair insulted. He thought he had won their little fight and he and Sakura could go back to playing and leave this loser behind. What he hadn't been expecting, was for Sasuke to throw a handful of sand at his face. Naruto sputtered in indignation, before letting out a roar cry and tackling Sasuke, who let out his own little warrior screech as they fell into the sand and began to roll around, pulling at each other's hair and shirts. Sakura jumped up and out of the box, staring open mouthed at the two boys. She wasn't sure if she should get involved, or let them wear each other out. She looked around to see that the other kids had stopped what they were doing to look before turning back to their games.

"Stupid!"

"Duck butt!"

"Take that back!"

"You first!"

Sakura mutely watched as they continued to tumble around, oddly transfixed at how they were evenly matched for such small children. At one point, Naruto got the upper hand and shoved Sasuke's head into the sand, making him eat a mouthful. Sasuke squawked and sputtered while Naruto laughed in jubilation. Then he was bucked off of the black haired boy and had a bucket shoved onto his head by the very angry Uchiha. Before they could continue, Mikoto decided to step in.

"Boys!" She shouted, scaring Sakura since she hadn't noticed her appear next to her. Both boys stopped what they were doing to look, well, Naruto tried, but he still had a bucket on his head. Mikoto tried to hide her amusement, but it was hard when she saw how disheveled they were, both covered in sand and looking like angry kittens. She hid her chuckle by clearing her throat and fixing them with an angry glare. "Sasuke, that's not how you treat others-"

"He started it!"

"No I didn't!"

"I don't care who started it, both of you need to apologize right now!" She scolded, hands on her hips as she looked down at them. Sasuke pouted but wisely kept quiet, while Naruto struggled to get the bucket off his head. Mikoto took some pity on him and went to move so she could help him, but Sakura beat her to it. She grabbed the sides of the bucket and yanked on it. It came off with a loud 'pop' and suddenly Naruto could see again. He squinted at the brightness, but otherwise looked fine. Other than the fact that his hair was now standing straight up and looked like it was full of static. Sasuke let out a snort and Naruto snapped his head at him, ready to rumble again. But stopped when Mikoto grabbed both their ears and tugged. "Apologize, now." Her voice left no room for arguing.

"Sorry."

"I'm...sorry."

"Good, now that's over with, would you like to introduce me to your friends, Sasuke-kun?" Mikoto laughed lightly at the indignant look her youngest sent her, before shouting out that they weren't his friends, especially not Naruto who called him 'duck butt', and not Sakura who hadn't done anything to stop the fight. As she laughed, she felt eyes on her, appraising her and watching her every movement. She knew who it was, and she knew she was treading on thin ice. But at the moment, watching her son get flustered and trying to make it clear that no, they weren't his friends, and nor would they ever, she decided that she quite liked the spunky Haruno children.

After all, she had caught Sasuke blushing at Sakura.

She decided that if they were to be her son's friends and companions, she was quite alright with that.

* * *

 **AN: So, super short and super sweet. I felt like making the boys fight while Sakura watched, instead of stepping in, because that's what every other story seems to do. And I like the idea of Naruto getting a bucket shoved on his head, and Sasuke squawking because he was forced to eat sand. Ya know, normal playground shennanigans!**

 **Any way, please review and let me know what you think!**


	6. Welcome to the Family

**Chapter Five: Welcome to the Family**

Sasuke hated how his father never looked at him with pride.

Sasuke hated how he never seemed to measure up to his big brother.

Sasuke _hated,_ with every fiber of his being, _how he wasn't good enough._

But more importantly, _he hated how Sakura's family was becoming more of his family than his own flesh and blood._

* * *

Sasuke thought Haji was odd, when he first met the towering man. He literally glowed, like he had been dipped into a pool of gold. He was also bald. Sasuke had never seen a man so young looking and fit with a completely bald head. It was weird. Haji was weird.

And for some reason, Sasuke was okay with that. He was fine with Haji being weird, because Haji had nothing but kind words for the poor boy and he desperately needed a strong male figure in his life right now. His father was non-existent, and his big brother, Itachi, was barely home so he didn't really count. He loved his mother, truly, but sometimes she wasn't enough. He needed a man to look up to, to idolize, and he was jealous that Naruto had that, when he didn't.

 _He hated being jealous, hated being so angry, hated hating._

Haji seemed to have noticed how lonely he felt, and would always offer him a piece of advice, or a kind word to boost him up.

" _Your stance is quite excellent, Sasuke-kun."_

 _"Move your foot closer towards the other- now doesn't that feel easier to hold?"_

 _"Perfect, you are far ahead for your age."_

Even when Sasuke messed up, when he couldn't hold his stance for a long time, or when he couldn't get the kata right the first time, Haji would _always_ tell him he had done a good job. And he soaked up that praise like a sponge, feeling a warmth bloom in his chest every time he saw the man.

And that same warmth would bloom whenever he saw Sakura and Naruto, but he would never admit that. Oh no, if he ever told them how much they meant to him, they would start to cry and tackle him in a weird hug.

 _"Wow, Sasuke! That's so cool, how did you do that?" Sakura was always impressed with his moves._

 _"Not bad, duck butt, bet I can learn that new kata faster than you!" Naruto was always ready to playful challenge._

They were his friends, probably his only friends, and he cherished them and their friendship. So much so, that whenever his family asked about what he did all day, he would tell them he was training. And that would seem to satisfy them, or at least it would satisfy his father for a minute or two. His brother, if he was home, would just give him a weird look before going back to whatever it was that he did all day. His mother knew, but she would never tell, as she felt it wasn't her place. She just wished her son would stop trying so hard to be like Itachi, he was perfect as Sasuke. But what she didn't know, was that Sasuke no longer wanted to be just like his brother. He had found a new role model, someone else to idolize and look up to. And it was Haji, the seven foot God, who would always smile when he saw him, and ask him what he wanted to learn today.

 _Sasuke no longer cared about what his father thought of him._

 _Haji's opinion, however, mattered the world to him._

* * *

 _"Hn, how's your training coming along?"_

 _"Good, otou-san,"_

 _"What have you been doing?"_

 _"I've been practicing my katas."_

 _"That's it?"_

 _"Otou-san?"_

 _"Your brother had already mastered his Sharigan at your age."_

 _"But-"_

 _"He was already learning how Katon techniques."_

 _"Otou-san-"_

 _"Disappointing. You will stop with your katas and start learning Katon, understood?"_

 _"No,"_

 _"What did you say?"_

 _"No..no...I said no. I said no!"_

 _"Sasuke-"_

 _"I'm not like him, I'm not Itachi! I'm Sasuke! I'm Sasuke! I'm Sasuke!"_

* * *

Sasuke ran to the Haruno home, the Dragon district. He ran as fast and as hard as his little legs could carry him. His eyes burned from his tears, they were blurry and unfocused, but he knew that he would get there without incident. All he wanted to do was run as far from his family as he could, run away from the clan that only saw him as a replacement to Itachi, and not as an actual person. After yelling at his father, Sasuke didn't even stop to realize what he had done. He just took off; his shoes were still in the hall by the front door, untouched.

Sasuke threw himself over the red line that marked the Haruno clan's district. He laid on the dirt road, panting hard as tears ran down his face and his lungs fought for air. He curled up into a ball, wrapping his arms around his legs and closed his eyes. He felt his chest heart, but more importantly, he felt his heart hurt. Why couldn't his father just love him the way Haji loved him? Without expectations? Without disdain?

He curled up tighter and began to sob, for once not caring what people thought of him and what they would say. He didn't care.

And neither did the people around him. They knew who he was, knew who he was best friends with. One of them ran off to get Haji, to let him know that Sasuke-san was crying and possibly in pain. Another, an apprentice to a geisha, approached him and knelt down next to him. She began to rub soft, soothing circles on his back, cooing at him in an equally soft voice. She coaxed him out of his ball and got him to sit up so that he could lean against her. He clutched at her yukata (she was glad it was an old one) and continued to sob. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer, her heart clenching at the sight of a child so young crying in such a way. She held him, bowing her head to lay a gentle kiss on his crown, before looking up and glancing through the crowd. She caught sight of Mikoto, looking torn. She was standing outside, on the other side of the red line. She hesitated, like she wanted to approach, but stopped herself when she saw Haji approaching.

Haji saw her and titled his head in her direction, but that was all he did before turning his back so he could retrieve Sasuke. The young girl picked him up and tried to give him to Haji, but Sasuke clung to her. He was still crying, but they had tempered out to quiet sniffles.

None of them noticed his mother smile sadly before turning to walk away. She had a husband to put back in place.

* * *

Sakura and Naruto refused to leave his side for a week after his running away. And he was fine with that; he clung to them at night, scared his father would come and take him back home.

He was terrified that he would be forbidden from seeing them ever again.

He would shake at night, curled in on himself.

He would cry out for one of them, and they would always be right there.

He would cling to their tiny bodies as he slept, none of them caring about sharing a bed.

And Haji would look on, his lips tugged down in a frown at the sight.

 _Fugaku would rue the day he threw his own son away,_ Haji thought, before pressing a kiss to each of their heads while they slept. He would make sure that that man learned just badly he had hurt his own child.

* * *

Sasuke woke up on the last day of his second week with them, and stumbled into the bathroom to brush his teeth and take care of himself. When he blinked his eyes clear, he looked at himself in the mirror.

And stared.

And stared.

And stared some more before letting out a high pitched scream.

When Haji raced towards him, a dagger in hand, he found a shell shocked Sasuke staring at himself in the mirror. More specifically, staring at the fresh, bright pink dragon with green eyes under his right eye.

Haji swore that these children would give him a heart attack one day.

* * *

Naruto noticed the mark and beamed at Sasuke like the sun.

"Sakura! Sasuke has the mark!" He shouted, before turning to Sasuke with a smaller smile, "Welcome to the family, duck butt."

* * *

 **AN: Ayeee, what chu think? Sorry if I hit you guys in your feels, but it was kinda necessary (not really) to the plot. I had a reviewer (MademoiselleRED) ask if the massacre would happen, and well, it won't. But things won't be easy, or nice, for the Uchihas.**

 **I got plans, you see, to make them regret pushing the two boys the way they did, and that involves forcibly taking them from their clan and making them Sakura's. Not sure if Itachi will join them, I'll have to see what happens as the story goes on.**

 **So you guys know, I don't care much for canon, as it treated all three of them pretty badly, so while some events might be similiar, a lot of it won't be.**

 **Also, Cruisegirl86, I will have to see where this train takes me, but don't worry, they'll get some love, too.**


	7. Best Interest

**Chapter Six: Best Interest**

 _"This is preposterous!"_

 _"That clan dares insult us? The Uchihas?"_

 _"How dare she!"_

 _"This is a direct threat to our very clan!"_

 _"Has she forgotten who we are?! What we are capable of?!"_

 _Mikoto's eyes snapped open, her Sharigan spinning in warning as the Elders continued to throw insults and threats around the room. Beside her, Fugaku sat silent and still. This was not his meeting, this was hers. On her other side, sat Itachi, who looked perfectly calm, but she could see in his eyes that he was nervous, that he was unsure. But he kept quiet, trusting in his mother and her decision._

 _"No one goes against us!"_

 _Mikoto had had enough with these old fools and their misogny. She snapped her fingers, bring the attention back to her and effectively silencing the room._

 _"Have you all forgotten what happened the last time the Uchihas went against the Dragon Empress?" Mikoto asked rhetorically. She didn't want an answer, she wanted silence and obedience. Her husband may be the clan head, but she was still powerful in her own right. And she was going to remind these_ men _just who she was._

 _"Fugaku-"_

 _"You will speak to me, not him. Or you will leave." She kept her voice calm, unwavering. Her tone brought ice to their spines. Fugaku tried to sit even straighter; his wife's silver tongue could cut deeper than any kunai, and her words could burn you worse than a fireball. He was not being submissive, no, he was being smart._

 _"How dare you-" The Elder stopped speaking and quickly everyone knew why. Mikoto was a reknowned Genjutsu Mistress, feared even amongst her own clan. She could never rival the Harunos, but she could hold her own fairly well. The Elder let out a terrified scream and started to claw at his arms and face, screaming intermittently. He tried to scoot as far back as he could from her, still clawing at himself. Mikoto's lips twitched in satisfaction; it had been far too long since she had brought fear to someone. Itachi looked at his mother, like he was truly seeing her for the first time. And he was scared, scared that his kind and loving mother could so easily switch into a cold, cruel, killer. He wanted to stop her, to make her go back to normal, but then a thought struck him. She used to be a Jounin before she had him, before she was married and forced to retire and bend to the will of the clan. He stayed his hand, and let her continue. He was not the only one who had been forced to bend and break, it seemed._

 _When Mikoto had had enough, she allowed the poor man to be released. He fell to the floor, shaing and twitching. He was silent, as were the others._

 _"Now, does anyone else wish to be disrespectful? No? Excellent." Mikoto sighed, closing her eyes and allowing her doujutsu to shut off. When she opened them again, there was a hardness to them that made everyone straighten. "There will be no debate on this matter, nor will any of you try to show resistance. Sasuke has been marked by the Dragon heir, and there is nothing we, or the Hokage, can do about it. He will be allowed to move into their home, and take their surname, if he so wishes. And I will not persuade him to not to, as this clan has done nothing but treat my dear boy as a replacement to Itachi, my son and current heir. He has made it very clear to Haji-san that he wishes to stay and learn there, rather than be here._

 _"There is no doubt in my mind, that if any of you try to raise a war against the Dragon Empress, we will be wiped out and erased from the very existence of time for our slight. And while I do not care for any of you, I will not allow us to nearly follow in our ancestor's footsteps." Mikoto spoke of the time when the Uchihas still fought the Senju, she spoke of the Warring Clans Era._

 _She also spoke of the first Dragon Empress, the first woman to have the Gods bend their knees to._

 _"Madara-sama was a fool when he tried to force a marriage between Kana-dono and himself. He thought he could control her, and thought that he could control her dragons as well." Mikoto knew Itachi had never heard this, as it was the shame of the Uchiha clan. They had thought themselves indestructible, and for their arrogance, they nearly perished. "When Kana-dono refused, Madara-sama should have bowed in submission to her, like the Senju had. They had always been smarter than us, knowing when to submit to someone stronger." She let out a soft chuckle; no one dared to correct her. "But no, he was outraged, enraged, and rejected by the most powerful woman in history. He declared war against her, claimed that he would have her as his wife, or as his slave. He claimed he would have her dragons chained up and locked away, until he felt like releasing them on his enemies._

 _"His insolence to the Gods brought about our near extinction. Kana-dono called forth Senso, the God of War, and set him upon Madara and our clan. Senso knew no limit, knew no mercy. He destroyed our lands, razed them to ashes, and killed half of our clan. It was only when a child, a child for Gods sake, begged Senso to spare our clan and let us live. Kana-dono made Senso yield his onslaught, and stayed her anger. She bid us to leave, and to never disturb her clan again, or she would show them no mercy."_

 _Itachi stared at his hands in fear. They had nearly been wiped out because his ancestor, Madara, thought he could control Kana-dono? Did his clan have no shame for their arrogance?! And to think, they had all forgotten! He clenched his hands even tighter, his nails biting into his skin. Gods, he was scared of such an opponent._

 _"To this day, we owe our lives to the Haruno clan. I will not have that mercy thrown back in their faces because you fools feel slighted over the marking of Sasuke. You should take that as a blessing! Finally, one of our own has been chosen! We will finally be forgiven by the Gods for our misdeeds!" Mikoto shouted at them, her passion and anger spilling over. "I will not let any of you take that from us, from me, from my very own son." Itachi reached out and grabbed his mother's hand, a small sliver of him hoping that his mother would make them forget about their coup. That he wouldn't have to cntinue spying on his own family for the sake and safety of the village._

 _He was not let down._

 _"I think it would be in the best interest of this clan, if we were to throw away any and all plans to overthrow the village. We were granted a second mercy, and will not let this one be wasted."_

* * *

 **AN: Okay, so I'm starting to see a pattern here. Usually when I update one chapter, I have enough fuel in the tank for a second. But don't get your hopes up, this may or may not last. Just remember, okay?**

 **So, I know a lot of stories like to have it where Mikoto is the somewhat submissive, doting wife to the clan head, but I had an idea. What if she was more terrifying than Fugaku, but the clan is full of sexists bastards and tried to make her bend to their will? And she finally snapped? Because she was tired of how everyone didn't see Sasuke as Sasuke, but as a second Itachi, should the first perish on an unfortunate mission?**

 **And once that idea was in my head, it stuck. So, I made her cruel, cold, calculating. I made her a threat. I made her terrifying, while still being a (increasingly less) proud member of her clan, and a protective and loving mother to her children. Because after all, no one person wears one mask. We wear multiple, it just depends on what happens around us.**

 **Anyways, please review and let me know what you think!**


	8. Choice

**Chapter Seven: Choice**

Sasuke stared at the piece of cloth in his hands, silent as he soaked up everything his mother and brother had just told him. They were sitting in the training room of Sakura's home, left alone with the reassurance that they would just be a shout away. Sasuke knew that they were really hiding behind the door, and he couldn't help but smile at the thought. They were so protective of him, Sakura more so, which was understandable. He was part of their family now, forever and always, and they would always be there for him.

But he was still an Uchiha.

And he had a choice to make - go back with his mother and brother, stay a member of the clan that had made it clear they didn't think him as a person, or...or stay here, with his best friends, his idol (and father figure), and take up the Haruno name and move towards a future where he had to only face one expectation: be Sasuke.

And that was why he was holding a simple piece of fabric, with the choice of the century to make.

It was such a simple thing, the cloth. It was the same color as is normal attire; black. But what was different was the symbol. It was a white circle, formed by the body of a dragon circling itself and biting its tail.

The symbol on his back burned.

It represented everything he was.

It represented everything he would ever be.

It represented everything he would ever achieve.

And it burned, burned, burned him.

Sasuke chanced a glance up at his mother, who sat proudly in front of him, her features soft and open. His brother next to her, resigned and closed off. But Sasuke could see that there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He wondered what that hope was for. Was for him to toss aside his friends and return? Or was it for him to choose his own path and make his destiny? Sasuke truly hoped it was the latter, as he let the cloth go and moved.

He tore his shirt off of him, and while everything in him wanted to toss it across the room, he knew that wouldn't be kind to his family. So instead, he neatly folded it and placed it gently in front of him. Then he picked the cloth back up, and let it unfold. It was a simple black t-shirt, the collar normal and civilian like. But the material was a fire retardant silk. It felt soft in his hands. And it weighed heavily in his heart.

Was he truly going to do this?

 _Yes,_ he thought, _I will make my own path. I will make Sakura, and Naruto, proud. I will make Haji-san proud. I will make my family proud._

He quickly pulled the shirt on, and the heaviness in his heart disappeared as the shirt settled. It felt cool against his skin and light. He wondered if it was as airy as it felt.

Itachi sighed mentally, happy that his little brother was choosing his happiness over the clan. He felt his mother radiate beside him, and knew she was happy as well.

"Oh Sasuke," she sighed, smiling despite the tears falling down her face. "I'll miss seeing you everyday, but Haji-san says we're," she gestured towards Itachi and herself, "always allowed to come by and visit."

"I know, kaa-san. I...I'm sorry...I'm sorry that I caused you this pain, but kaa-san, I'm really, really happy here...Haji-san, he...he says that I'm far exceeding expectations for my training, and that my studies are great..." Sasuke spoke quickly, so unlike himself and wondered if this is what Naruto was talking about, when he said that marked ones tend to feel the same emotions as their Dragon. "Otou- no, no, father...he never once said things like that about me. He never once praised me for anything, always telling me how I lacked in comparision to you, Itachi-nii. And I just, I don't want to go back there, to that. I want to here, with my friends, and I want to be happy." Sasuke said, his eyes tearing up as his mother nodded and opened her arms to him. He scrambled to give her a hug, not noticing Itachi get up and quietly leave the room.

* * *

"Itachi-san," a soft voice called out to him as he closed the door behind him. He turned around and saw Sakura standing at the end of the hall, staring at him with this odd look in her eyes. She nodded her head towards the room, and he nodded back.

"Sasuke-kun has decided to stay here and be disowned by the Uchiha-"

"He's the one _disowning_ you, not the other way around." Sakura snapped, her eyes lighting up in the dimly lit hallway. Itachi blinked at the suddeness of her words. There was anger laced through each one, and he had to wonder if she even knew what was going on.

"I apologize if I've done anything to anger you, Sakura-chan-"

"San. And you have; you didn't stand up to your father for Sasuke, which makes you just as bad as him." She spoke softly and took quiet steps forward. Itachi stayed in place, wondering if this child was going to lash out at him. He didn't want to hurt her if she did. She stopped right in front of him, the shadows hiding the majority of her face from him. All he could see were her glowing green eyes, and the pupils unnerved him terribly. He wanted to take a step back from her, to gain some safe distance. But something told him she was expecting that. That she wanted to see if she, a little six year old child, could scare him, an Anbu operative. And that unnerved him even more. "I don't care if you're his blood brother or not, Itachi-san. If you ever try to take him away from me, I will burn everything you love to ashes. I will rip away everything precious from you and make you watch as I tear them to shreds. And then when I'm done destroying you on the inside, I will devour you whole." Her words were sharp and jagged. They were no empty threats, but a clear and terrifying promise of what would come, if her marked ones were hurt at all. Itachi nodded down her, making sure to bow his head in respect to her position, before glancing up and seeing the sweet, little six year staring back at him.

Gone were the glowing eyes, the predatory smile, and apathetic look.

Instead, he saw the little girl that his mother considered an angel who could do no harm.

And he wasn't sure which side of her scared him more.

* * *

 **AN: Okay, so this makes three chapters in one day, I hope you guys are happy.**

 **Now, as for this one, honestly I felt like Itachi could've done more to stand up for Sasuke against their father's high expectations for him, but he didn't, so I decided to play with that.**

 **Also, for anyone who says he's too OOC, and that he wouldn't be scared of a little girl, I call your bullshit!**

 **If a little girl was standing at the end of a hallway, and then she was in front of you, and her fucking eyes were glowing, you would be shitting your pants. Me? I would punt that demon spawn from hell back down the hallway and run for my life.**

 **And besides, it's fun to scare people.**


End file.
